The Importance of Music

I love music! At work, I am almost always listening to one of my stations on Pandora or a playlist I have created on YouTube. soft music in the background while doing chores around the house is also very soothing. Growing up there was always music and that is what I want for my child.

When my sisters and I were little, my mom always had our house filled with music. We were always singing along to various children’s songs and, when we were a little older, to Psalty: The Big Blue Singing Songbook. My parents still have the gigantic yellow songbook filled with classic children’s songs my mom got from Reader’s Digest. Music was simply a part of who our family was, and I cherish those memories.

Bradley and I want to create a similar, loving and inviting environment in our home for our child. I want to have beautiful and uplifting beautiful playing softly in the background as we go about our chores, and I cannot wait to lie on the floor with our little daughter or son and teach them their first songs.

In the spirit of sharing, I am going to share a few music choices that I am already enjoying and will continue to play around the house after the baby is born.

A few years ago, I discovered Scripture Lullabies, and since then I have given the CDs away as baby shower gifts to friends. I, myself, own digital copies of the three albums: Volume I, II, and III. I sometimes listen to them myself while at work. These albums are perfect for infants and toddlers, but they are also wonderful for grown ups. Another thing I love about these songs is, just as the name implies, the lyrics for each song are taken from Scriptures, though some have been simplified a little.

For a sampling of the beautiful and peaceful music, check out this playlist on YouTube.

When our child gets to be a little older, perhaps four or five, I will introduce Psalty’s Kids Praise, particularly albums 1-6 as this is what we had when I was a kid. The Kids Praise albums are more like a radio story featuring Psalty, the Big Blue Singing Songbook, and his friends. Each album has a story and a moral point, backed up by familiar Maranantha and praise songs as well as a few original songs. Some of these songs helped me memorize Bible verses as a kid, and often when I was facing challenges even in high school, I would sing these songs to myself. There are one or two songs based on doctrine that is not completely accurate, but that is something we as parents need to teach as the kids grow into understanding.

For a sampling of songs from the Kids Praise albums, check out this playlist on YouTube.

My YouTube Playlists

I also have a few YouTube playlists that I listen to frequently. One is Serenity, inspired by my Pandora station of the same name.

I’ve also just started a Lullabies playlist with lullabies that I intend to learn and sing to our child. This list is still a bit small, but it will be growing over the next few months.

Hymns

And a house filled with music would not be complete without hymns (both instrumental and with singing) filling the air. I am so excited!